Hammer crown changes

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33443, 26 January 1974, Page 11

Hammer crown changes

The reign of Harold Payne as the Commonwealth hammer throwing champion ended at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday. But a fellow Englishman, lan Chipchase, proved a worthy successor.

Payne, a 42-year-old university physical education j lecturer, was the winner of a sequence of three ' Games titles. But yesterday he had his crown whisked from him when Chipchase, only half Payne’s age, exceeded i the previous Games record with each of his first four throws. It was the second of these mighty efforts, 69.56 m (228 ft 2in), that brought Chipchase his gpld medal and — surprisingly — his second victory over both his English rivals, Payne and Barry Williams, in any one contest.

The fine form of Peter Farmer, of Australia, and troubled times for Williams, the Commonwealth record-holder, prevented a clean sweep of the medals by England. Williams worried Chipchase the most as he clung to his lead for the last four rounds. But his five nothrows were balanced only by a reasonable throw of 66.82 m for fourth placing. Nagged by a knee injury and indecisive in his delivery, Williams could not get the hammer out of the cage at his last three attempts. Murray Cheater finished next with 65.82 m, just a little below the national resident record he set five days earlier, and the New Zealand captain,' Warwick Nicholls, had the consolation of a personal best and a Canterbury record (63.72 m for his seventh.